NJ man pointed laser at plane 3 times from his deck, feds say

✅ A Colts Neck man thought there was a drone flying near his home

✅ Officials warned not to point lasers at aircraft

✅ There were 77 reported incidents of lasers pointed at aircraft from NJ

COLTS NECK — A Monmouth County man was charged with pointing a laser at an airplane he thought was a drone.

James M. Pedone, 27, used the laser pointer from the deck of his home in December,  Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna said.

During the height of drone sightings over New Jersey, authorities reported an increase in incidents of lasers pointed at aircraft, a significant increase over the same period in 2023. FAA records show there were 76 incidents in December. There have not been any in New Jersey this year.

One laser pointed at a helicopter near Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst injured a pilot, officials said.

Khanna said a laser light was pointed at a plane around 8 p.m. on Dec. 12 at a plane near the Colts Neck home of James M. Pedone, 27. The pilot and co-pilot, who are federal agents, saw the green light hit the bottom of the plane as they flew at 2,500 feet.

The agents turned the plane around to locate the origin of the light and saw the light hit the plane a second time, according to the criminal complaint.

ALSO READ: Porn and sex favors from wives: jury convicts abusive chief

Federal pilots found suspect from their plane

A camera on the plane captured images of two individuals as they pointed the laser light for a third time. They notified air traffic controllers of the location and police were sent to the home. Pedone denied that he or the other person in the image had pointed a laser at the plane.

During a second interview with Pedone at his job in Edison he admitted pointing a laser "once or twice" and throwing away the pointer he used. Pedone was charged by complaint with knowingly aiming the beam of a laser at an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States.

Knowingly aiming the light of a laser pointer at an aircraft is a federal crime and comes with a maximum five-year prison term and $250,000 fine. The lasers can distract pilots during landing and takeoff and can cause them temporary blindness, according to the FAA.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom